
Class __iLili 

Book ■ J^^A^ . 



Copyright :N°- 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



Pro Aris et Pro Focis 



4^i" 




COLOKS BEFORE SANTIAGO 



And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave 



"K" Company 
7 1 St Regiment, New York Volunteers 

A RECORD 

of its experience and services during 

The S pan ish - Am e ric an War 



and a 
• MEMORIAL TO ITS DEAD 



57588 

COPYRIGHT, 1900, by C. H. S. 



7 1 -^ 



TWO COPIES RECEIVEO, 

Llbrsry of Cesgre«% 
Ufflee ot tb« 

MAY 3 -1900 

BegUtor of Copyrlghtai 



Published for Private Circulation by 

Chas. H. Scott / 



-/ 



SECOND COPY, 



Manuscript by 

Arthur C. Anderson and 
Charles H. Briner 



C2' jy f^ 



TO THE MEMORY 

OF OUR 

Colored Friends 

The 24th U. S. Infantry (Regulars) 

who fighting and dying with us on 
San Juan Hill 

taught us a new respect and appreciation of the race to 
which they belong 

THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 



^ 



INDEX 

PAGE 

Introductory, . . . . . . . . 15 

The Record. . . . . . . . . ■ 17 

In Memoriam, . . . . . . . . 35 

Obituaries, ......... 36 

Roster and Individual Statistics, ...... 47 

Our "Happy Homes," . . . . . . .52 

The War Veterans of Co. " K, " 

Officers, ....... .54 

Constitution and By-Laws, . ... 55 

Resolution, ......... 57 



Only ^OO copies of this Record of " K'^ Company, 
jist New York Volunteers, are issued. 

This is copy No. ^77 



'Lie down — Lie dozun — Lie dozvn " 
'Don't Swear, /joys. Shoot'' 
' Drive those Spaniards out" 



Left fro7it into line of squads, as skirmishers, 
double time, march 



i 


M 



HE following chronicle of the doings of "K" Company in the 
late war with Spain, makes no pretensions as an historical account. 
The idea that has governed in preparing it has been merely 
to describe that small section of the field of action in which 
we had place, and to recall again to "K" Company men the 
incidents of our experience in the army of Uncle Sam ; and 

it is for this reason that personality has entered this record to so great an 

extent. 

With regard to the statement on any debated point, it can only be said 

that this is simply a description of affairs as they appeared to the recorder. 

To others, they may have looked differently. He can only speak from personal 

knowledge. 

Historian " K" Covipany 




HE evening newspapers of April 25th, 1898, contained the news that a 
state of war had been declared to exist between the United States and 
Spain. The suspense and uncertainty of the past two months was 
ended. Instantly, in every State in the Union, thousands of young 
men stood forward, eager for the chance to serve their country. 

In response to a telegram from headquarters at Albany, the 
71st Regiment, N. G. N.Y., was assembled in its Armory on the 
evening of April 26th, and to each man was put the question whether he would enlist in 
the United States service, provided the organization of the regiment was kept intact. 
About four-fifths of the regiment expressed their willingness for duty, devotion to 
family obligations preventing a unanimous response. 

Late on the evening of Friday, April 29th, news reached the Armory that the 
71st Regiment was one of those selected for duty, and Monday morning. May 2d, saw 
us started for Hempstead, L. I., where a preparatory camp had been established. 
Probably to none of us, as we marched out of the Armory and down to the ferry, did it 
occur how serious an undertaking we had entered on ; how great the dangers and 
privations that were to fall to us, and how many places in the ranks, now full, would be 
empty on our return, four months later. 

P g. 1^ Camp Black is memorable for a condition and a character. The 

Hempstead, LI. condition one of incessant rain, which by a steady downpour that made 

May 2d to'iz'th. tent-life far less ideal than it has been pictured, tried its hardest to dampen 

our enthusiasm. Yet some mitigations existed in " K " Company. Each 

17 



tent had its own well provided larder to supplement the somewhat scanty rations ; and 
the charms of feminine society were not entirely unknown, especially at the first tent. 

Here the new men were initiated into the routine of Company duty, and a brilliant 
innovation in the way of chevrons was made by the company clerk, who in token o^ his 
office, appeared before the startled beholders with a pair of gold chevrons worn upside 
down. They disappeared after an interview with the First Lieutenant. 

The character which Camp Black developed, is of course, none other than William. 
William, whose name must never be mentioned, save in connection with a big D. 
William of the coffee pot and steak ! Alas, poor William ! Oblivion swallowed thee at 
Williamsburg, but thy memory shall ever be cherished among us. 

At Camp Black, on May loth, the men of the 71st Regiment, N. G. N. Y., were 
mustered into the service of the United States, and the organization now became known 
as the 71st Regiment, New York Volunteers. 

Camp at Hempstead was broken on Thursday, May 12th, the 71st Regiment being 

the first of the volunteers to start south, as it had been the first to be mustered in. A 

weary night was spent in making the transfer from the cars at Williams- 

^'*^°' burg to the " City of Washington," which had been designated to carry us. 

Wj^hm^ton, ^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ vessel ill-prepared for so large a number as had been 

^^ ^ ' assigned to it, and were rejoiced when orders were received to leave and 

take the cars at Jersey City for the South. 

The journey from Jersey City to Lakeland, Florida, is one of the most pleasant 
memories of our trip. We passed scarcely a station along the way, where the towns- 



people were not out to welcome us, sometimes bringing flowers or fruit with them for 
the boys. They were eager for souvenirs of any kind, and a trail of cartridges with the 
number of the regiment scratched on, or hard-tack on which the name had been printed, 
marked our progress. Some of these bore fruit later. For fuller information on the 
subject apply to Private G. W. Weeden. 

Lakeland is a memory of incessant drill amid the sandy wastes and 
M^'^lm'sOth choking dust of Florida in summer time. Constant exercise in battalion 
^^ * and regimental formation continued the process which company drill had 

begun, and the regiment began to understand itself as a unit. And for a time, " K" 
Company marched next behind the band. But not for long, for with the promotion of 
Captain Keck to the command of the Third Battalion, we became the junior company, a 
position we occupied until mustered out. Our First Lieutenant became Captain and 
" K" Company rejoiced to find itself under one of the most able officers in the regiment 
— Capt. E. A. Selfridge, Jr. 

Despite the heat and dust and work, we can look back upon our stay at Lakeland 
with pleasure, for we had good health, fair grub, and the chance to swim in the lake at 
evening and early morning. Mail from home made its appearance regularly, and an 
occasional box of provender would stray in. 

Still we were anxious for the onward movement that was to land us in Cuba, to 
begin. The "Rumor Committee" met regularly, where and as provided for in 
the "Articles of War," but until May 31st, their deliberations were without result. 
On that day camp was broken, our baggage stowed on our backs, and at five 



in the morning we started for the cars. A tedious ride carried us the twenty miles 

to Ybor City of unsavory reputation, and then a three mile march landed us on 

Tampa Heights. 

^ „ . Li Camp on the Heights lay three miles from the City of Tampa, and 

Tampa Heiihts, , f , ^ ■'. , . , ^ ^ ., 

M %n \ 7th. temptation to spend an evening there, sometimes outweighed cons^ner- 

ation for the edicts which issued from the head of the street. A fifth of 
the Company remembers that roll call, one evening after dark, when the other four- 
fifths were away, engaged on private foraging details. And the cavalry charge made 
by the returning heroes in the early morning ! The real truth of that incident has never 
been made plain. Was it Foley or Billy Carr that rode the mule? And the animated 
graveyard ! 

A startling accumulation of coin attended the stay of some of the members of 
" K" Company at Tampa Heights, while for others, this period was a time of mourning 
for vanished wealth. 

Our first governmental pay-day made its appearance, and the rigors of an army 
diet were thereby mitigated. 

On Tuesday night, January 7th, Tuesday was our regular moving day, camp 
was struck on Tampa Heights, the tents falling to the bugle note in perfect unison, 
while the regulars stood along the side lines and applauded. That was a pleasant 
evening we spent beside the blazing fires, under the southern night, while the different 
companies sang the old favorites, "Way down Yonder in the Corn-field," or 
"On the Banks of the Wabash." 



SS. Vi^ilancia, '^^^ °®^* afternoon saw us on board the transport " Vigilancia," 

June 8th.24th. ^^^^^ ^ vexatious tramping to and fro to find where we belonged, or if we 
really belonged there at all. Our berths, in tiers three deep, " K " Com- 
pany in the forward hold, which was shared with " B," "E" and " L " Companies, 
came as something of a luxury after a month with the bare ground for a bed, even if 
they were pine boards without mattresses. It was aboard the ship that we became 
acquainted with our new lieutenant, Lester J. Blauvelt, who commanded the respect and 
enjoyed the good will of the men through the entire campaign. 

Friday, June loth, the transport left the pier where we had been moored, and 
took a position in mid-stream. But not till nearly a week later, Wednesday the isth, 
was the start for Cuba actually made. 

In the meanwhile, time hung heavy on our hands, a dip over the side of the ship 
being the chief diversion. Our boating parties, at this time, when the sailors of " K" 
covered themselves with glory and the rest of the Company with salt water, should not 
be forgotten. After the voyage had commenced, things were, if possible, even duller; 
and it was in the endeavor to vary this monotony, after taps one night, that the unhappy 
incident occurred for which Von Kromer was seized upon to bear the blame, he being 
probably the only innocent member of the crowd. A daily cake-walk was instituted, 
but as this threatened to shake all the bolts out of the ship, it was abandoned. 

Toward the latter part of the voyage, the rations, none too abundant at any time, 
began to grow exceedingly slim, and the efforts we made to add to them were without 
any very careful inquiry as to the ownership of anything eatable. For a time, condensed 



milk and lime juice flowed in plenty, and it was not until later that the oSicers of the 
Third Battalion mess discovered that there was a shortage in these staples. 

Monday, June the 20th, we sighted Cuba. The country on the coast is high and 
mountainous, changing in appearance as we gradually approached, from a bank of 
clouds on the northern water-line to a steep cliff, broken by ravines. A series of long 
mounds, three or four hundred feet high, lined the shore and extended abruptly down 
into the water, the waves running up among the rocks at the foot, sending up clouds of 
white spray. Behind lay an irregular mountain ridge, some eight or nine hundred feet 
above the sea, the crest hidden by low-hanging clouds. Along the shore, and between 
the mounds, there were Spanish villages, and one town of considerable size. That night 
we were so close in that we could see the red-roofed cottages, and the high trestle of a 
railroad bridge, with the cars still standing upon it. 

The following day, we stood out to sea again, but, on Wednesday morning, came 
close in, to within a mile of land. The warships went still closer, forming a line about 
half a mile off shore. What a splendid spectacle it was ! A gunboat came across under 
our stern, with a string of flags flying from the foremast, and the men in white canvas 
suits standing beside the guns in the side turrets, ready to open fire. 

The regiments which were to form the landing party, wearing brown service 
uniforms, with their rolls slung across their bodies, were loaded into small boats, and 
these, in strings of three or four, towed in toward shore by steam launches with machine 
guns at the bow. When the boats were well under shelter of the war-vessels, the latter 
opened fire on the land, shelling the town and the heights. Under cover of the fire, 



the boats crept in close, keeping up a continuous stream of fire from the machine guns. 
On Thursday evening, a message was shouted to us from the Segurancia, to the 
effect that we were to land at once. This Company's turn for disembarkation came 
about two in the morning. Thirty men or more at a time were loaded into long boats 
belonging to vessels of the fleet, and then towed in to shore by launches and we jumped 
from the gunwale of the boat to the pebbly beach, a distance of about three feet, loaded 
with our guns and all equipments. All except Billy Weeden, who emphasized his love 
of the briny deep by attempting to swim ashore. 

It was a strange scene, and one not quickly to be forgotten ; the sea-shore strewn 
with men, some gathered around huge fires which we built to dry our wet clothes; new 
boat loads driving in from out of the darkness ; the sailors standing waist deep in water 
to see that the landing was safely made ; the whole scene lit up by the rays of the 
searchlights which struck upon the unfamiliar forms of the tropic vegetation, bringing 
out their vivid greens. Far up on the blackness of the mountain behind, signal lanterns 
blinked, telling where the outposts had been established. The enemy had constructed 
some rifle-pits amid the sand, but had not lingered to use them. 

Siboney, -^^ eight-thirty that morning, the regiment was marched to the 

June 24th-27th. machine shops of the Juragua Iron Company. At eleven, the order was 

given to fall in with only gun 'and extra ammunition. 

Las Guasimas ^® struggled up the steep hill behind us in single file, and then 

June 24th. ' marched westward about two miles through the underbrush, till a halt was 

called, and we lay down under the trees. The heat that day was frightful, 

23 



and several of the boys were overcome. After being held in reserve for an hour or two 
we marched back to camp, passing on the way a considerable stock of canvas uniforms, 
haversacks, tents and equipments which the regulars had thrown away. 

The next two or three days passed quickly. We were cooking our own grub then, 
and some dozens of new ways of preparing beans, hard-tack and pork were immediately 
discovered. Here too, we first learned the proper army method of grinding coffee in a 
tin cup. Commissary details were the daily routine, varied by un-official "details" in 
search of cocoanuts. The Cuban patriots overran the camp, and we all remember the 
broad-sword exhibition that one of them gave. 

A start was made from Siboney early Monday morning, and the march 
towards Santiago commenced, passing on the way the graves of those who had died 
in Friday's fight. A tramp of six or seven miles brought us to a grassy opening, and 
there camp was pitched. 

... The camp at Sevilla received the appropriate name of "Camp 

"Ca H nurv" Hungry," for the scarcity of supplies was such that hard-tacks attained 
June 27th-July I'st. ^ considerable money value. During a heavy storm, the Tropical 
Open- Air Shower Bath was here invented, and some of the men who had 
ostentatiously shown that they were the proud possessors of a piece of soap, were left in 
a considerable fix by the sudden cessation of the down-pour. 

The camp was alarmed one night by a shot, but the cause of the disturbance 
proved to be a perambulating land crab. 

The first man in " K " Company to succumb to the fever was taken ill here. 



Thursday afternoon the regiment was marched a mile or two down the road after 
provisions, and in the evening these were distributed— three days' rations to each man. 
This took till late at night. 

The next morning we were astir long before day-break, and with all equipments 
and provisions, started toward Santiago. About eight, we halted in a clearing to one 
side of the road. After a short wait, we went on again, marching in columns of fours. 
The cannon in front of us were firing steadily, the sound gradually becoming louder. 
On passing out of the thicket through which the trail lay, we could see the artillery on 
El Poso hill apparently about to limber up and move on. The war balloon passed us at 
this point, being towed along a trail to the right of ours by a dozen men who seemed to 
manage it with difficulty. Now we came to a stream which was forded, and then forded 
again. We passed a Gatling gun battery. 

Battle of "^ little further on, and a peculiar sing song began to be heard in 

San Juan ^^^ ^^^- ^^ ^ vag^e way, we recognized that this was the bullets, but the 

July 1st. f^<^t seemed of no immediate interest. McClelland of "E" Company, 

behind us, was hit in the knee-cap, and fell over to one side. A more 

vivid realization of what the humming sound meant came to us then. Suddenly a battery 

which seemed close above our heads, biit was concealed by the foliage, opened up. We 

ordered to lie down beside the road. We could see nothing. The only way the 

position of the enemy could be guessed at, was by listening to the bullets. A shell fell 

in the forward part of the Company, bruising Everhart and Gieseman, but failed to 

explode. Von Kromer picked it up and uses it now as a beer mug. We were ordered 

25 



to move forward, which we did, turning at right angles to the left, and then again 
ordered to lie down, off to one side of the trail. Here it seemed to rain bullets. They 
whistled through the air above, cut the branches of the bushes under which we lay, or 
with a thud, buried themselves in the sod. Poor Schofield was struck here, never to 
recover consciousness. The trail was filled with wounded going to the rear, litter 
bearers carrying those too far gone to help themselves. Again the order to advance 
was given. It came as a relief. Any kind of action is better than passively lying to be 
shot at. This time we went forward about three hundred yards, forded a stream from 
the far side of which we could see Major Keck waving to us to come on, and emerged 
from the thicket into the open field at last. 

Before us we saw a hill, with a low, flat building that looked more like a villa 
than a block-house, set upon it. We were not the first, for the Stars and Stripes were 
already on the side hill, and just under the crest, a line of blue figures could be seen 
running up to fire at the retreating enemy. We were fairly sheltered from the bullets 
by the hill. Those that reached us seemed to be high, striking among the branches of 
the trees. The battalion, without confusion, and in perfect alignment, deployed in 
extended order, and we crossed the intervening field, and mounted the hill. Here we 
threw ourselves down on our faces, waiting to support the regulars in case they should 
need help to repel an attack. 

Some of the boys crawled up to the firing line to take a shot, but the powder 
raised so much smoke, that a fair mark was offered to the enemy to fire at, and a rain of 
bullets followed. Darkness soon settled down and the fighting for the day was over. 
26 



The next morning as soon as it grew light enough to distinguish objects clearly, 
the cracking of the rifles along the crest of the hill, and to our left and right, began 
again. The enemy replied with well-aimed volleys, and seemed to have found the range 
more accurately than on the day before. While we were sheltered from a direct iire 
from the front, our left flank was exposed, and within a few minutes, four or five men 
were shot, Niemeyer and Andre of " K" among them, Niemeyer through the lung and 
mouth, and Andr6 in the right arm. Major Keck in command of the battalion, under- 
standing that we were to move out of fire, ordered us to come round out of our exposed 
position to a safer one on the right, but General Kent came up at this minute and told 
us to go back, so back we went, to lie there all day. 

The upper side of the hillside where we were stationed was bare of any shade 
except that of a single scraggly bush, and the rays of the sun beat down on us all day 
as though focused through a burning glass. In the afternoon it rained, a sharp, sudden 
downpour, which, though it drenched us, was much appreciated. 

Our position was not an enviable one. We were deprived of the confidence that 
action gives, and lay passively waiting till a call should be made for our services. 
Flights of bullets constantly passed above us, but these were not the worst; one became 
accustomed to their singing, but the big gun which they had over in Santiago was a 
terror. We could hear it boom far back in the city, then the shell came moaning 
through the air, while we tried to figure out where it would strike. Then it burst with 
a crash, sometimes in front of us, sometimes beyond, and sometimes directly over our 
heads. One exploded on the top of the hill, killing several of the regulars, while pieces 
from others struck the ground all around us. 27 



Water was brought in canteens, from the stream which we crossed on Friday. A 
little resting station for the wounded on the way to the rear was established on the bank 
where we crossed, although the place was far from safe, the bullets rattling among the 
branches overhead or sinking into the trunks of the trees. About twenty wounded lay 
there on Saturday morning, with no hospital corps man to look after their needs, 
those who were less severely hurt attending, as well as possible, to the wants of those 
seriously injured. 

The trees in the rear were still full of sharpshooters whose retreat had been cut 
off by our advance. They were in a desperate position and had determined to sell their 
lives as dearly as possible, keeping up a continuous fire on officers, wounded and details. 
Details were sent out to kill or capture them, and many bit the dust. Sergeant Goulden, 
with two of the Twenty-fourth Infantry, fired a volley at one whom they saw in a tree 
about two hundred yards away. He fell to the ground with two bullet-holes, and the 
question is still unsettled as to who shot the Spaniard? 

Saturday night, as the sun set behind the hills in the west, and the short tropic 
twilight came to an end, the Twenty-fourth Infantry left the rifle-pits in front of us, and 
we were ordered to fall in to hold them through the night. 

We found the pits about a foot deep, and five feet from front to rear, with a wall 
of earth between, and immediately set in to deepen and widen them. Three or four 
men were assigned to each pit, and a line of pickets thrown out in front. About ten 
o'clock, firing began on the right, and soon the whole line was in a blaze. The picket- 
guard at this time consisted of Sergeant Whitenack and a detail ; and through a misun- 
28 



derstanding, orders to fire were given before they had a chance to return. Caught 
between the two fires, they ran up the hill and tumbled over the embankment in the 
face of our volleys ; every one, in some miraculous manner, escaping injury. The 
up-roar was tremendous, the gatling-guns at the head of the valley adding to the noise. 
A sheet of fire ran from hill to hill, curving in and out, marking the line which our 
entrenchments followed. Through it all, Major Markly, of the Twenty-fourth Infantry, 
walked up and down the lines, paying as little heed to danger as though on dress-parade, 
and the bugle kept sounding "cease firing," varied by the "stable call," when the 
bugler lost his presence of mind. 

Next morning, we left the trenches to the accompaniment of a fairly accurate 
fire from the Spaniards. Foley was hit in the arm, the bullet making a clean, 
round hole. 

At noon, on Sunday, a truce was declared. Before that, however, forty men 
from the battalion were sent on detail to widen roads and bury the dead. The trail was 
being enlarged to a width of twenty-five feet, so that the heavy artillery could be brought 
to the front. 

The men of the third battalion struck up a great friendship with the colored men 
of the Twenty-fourth Infantry, and all along the trail, which led down the hill, black 
and white could be seen together, preparing rations or swapping experiences in the 
battle. The term " a gentleman and a soldier," was certainly exemplified by the men 
of that regiment. 

Wednesday morning, orders were received for the battalion to leave the San Juan 

39 



Hill, and take position on the line of support further toward the left. We pitched camp 
on the sloping hillside, and started the construction of an embankment designed to 
protect us from the enemy's artillery. 

But probably this would have proved inadequate, and we were not sorry early 
Saturday morning to march from our station along the rear of the whole line to nearly 
the extreme right. 

Here the trenches had already been dug, so we were spared further exertion in 
that line. From this point we had our first real view of Santiago — the brick barracks, 
well protected by red cross flags ; the bull pen beyond ; block-houses and entrench- 
ments, and to the right the bay. Guard was mounted on the trenches, and our shelter- 
tents erected in the rear. 

At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, on Sunday, the truce of the preceding week was 
declared at an end, and along both lines firing commenced. 

So far as we were concerned small injury was received, a flesh wound, 
inflicted by a piece of shell on Anderson, being the only damage done in the 
regiment. The smoke from our guns presented so good a mark that we received an 
embarassing amount of attention. (The regulars spoke of us as the light artillery.) 
But meanwhile, judging from the amount of lead expended, the enemy should have 
been decimated. Every dark patch on the landscape was a mark for our ambitious sharp- 
shooters, and with the aid of Von Kromer's " telescope," which worked rather better 
when the larger end was held to the eye, the palm trees in front were riddled. Supper 
that night was an exceedingly sparse meal, as was breakfast the following morning. 
30 



Monday the fire from our side was maintained by the artillery, which shelled the 
town, the Spaniards failing to reply. It was a magnificent sight. A battery of artil- 
lery was stationed at each side of us. First to the right of us, and then to the left, a 
cloud of white smoke would leap up ; a moment's wait and then far over on the plain a 
puff of dust would rise and the report of the explosion come faintly back. Sometimes 
the shells burst in the air, and sometimes they struck the Spanish block-houses, and we 
could imagine how uncomfortable the enemy's position must be. One shot penetrated 
the roof of the Coliseum and exploded inside. At noon on this day a new truce was 
begun. 

A favorite remark of "K" Company men when the subject of rain is under dis- 
cussion is, "You ought to have seen it rain in Cuba." And the gentle shower that fell 
on this Monday night while we stood guard along the trenches would justify a state- 
ment, which to one unacquainted with the tropical method of using the watering-pot, 
would seem the wildest exaggeration. The water descended in sheets, while the night, 
except when the lightning for a moment would make the country as bright as day, was 
so dark that a man a step away was invisible. But in spite of the drenching, the men, 
who were pretty well tired out, managed to obtain some sleep. Some lay right in the 
pools, others took it standing up, although in the case of " Scotty," with rather un- 
pleasant results. A scientific feat, compared with which the discovery of liquid air is a 
mere nothing, was performed by the pedagogic Sours, who succeeded in starting a fire. 

The week following passed without special incident, excepting the presence of 
General Miles, who rode around the lines with his staff. 

31 



o J , On Sunday, July 17th, Santiago formally surrendered. About 

Santiago " ' o'clock the army was lined up along the trenches looking over toward 
July 17th the city ; the cannon fired a salute ; the bands played ' ' The Star 
Spangled Banner," and the men brought their guns to a present. Th^n 
a cheer ran along the line. " Nick " Muller, not satisfied with this program, added some 
gymnastics of his own, which were received with great delight by the rest of the Com- 
pany. Down on the plain the ceremony of turning the Spanish army over to ours was 
taking place, although of this we could see nothing. 

This evening, for the first time, lights were visible in the town, and at nine the 
sound of the Cathedral chimes came floating across to us. A little later the bugles blew 
taps, the first time in eighteen days, and we hummed the notes over as we followed 
their advice to "go to sleep." 

The principal effort during the weeks following, till our return to the United 
States, was to maintain existence. The daily routine of camp duty was resumed. 
Water details, wood details, commissary details, and cooking occupied the time. 
Within a day or two of the surrender, men began to complain of pains in head, 
in back, and of chills and fever. These became more violent, while the number of the 
sufferers grew. The line of men who responded to roll-call as fit for duty became 
less and less, till that one morning in July when only a dozen answered to their names. 
Meanwhile, the line of disheveled creatures who dragged themselves each morning up 
to the surgeons' tent lengthened every day. 

As one looks back again to the incidents of that trying time, the recollection of 
32 



the humorous happenings may perhaps bring a smile, but the thought of the many dear 
comrades who, unattended, save by such inadequate care as we could give, sickened and 
died on that alien shore, makes the memory of our final days in Cuba unspeakably sad. 
And for those of us who spent the last three weeks wrestling with the torments of the 
fever, alternately drenched by the rain and stifled with the heat, sustained from day to 
day by the promise that another sun would see us started for the transports and for 
home — a nightmare is the remembrance of that time. 

Yet it was amid these adverse conditions that the best qualities of the men shone 
brightest. The debt that many of us owe to some comrade who patiently and silently 
cared for him is not to be paid in words. 

We shall always remember with affection "Teddy " Foley with his " Fall in for 
stew, boys;" Perry and Scott for the care which they gave to the sick men until too ill 
themselves to continue ; and our quartermaster-sergeant, who, in addition to efficiently 
performing his commissary duties, was of more value to the ill and wounded of " K" 
Company than the entire hospital corps. 

At last, on August 8th, our exodus from Cuba began. Fifteen men under com- 
mand of Sergeant Whitenack started first, coming north on the "Grande Duchesse," 
while the remainder of the Company embarked on the "St. Louis." For both conting- 
ents the voyage was uneventful. Rumor reports that Sergeant Bohlig 
Trans "oris °^ ^^^ " ^^- ^°^^^ " P^^'^^'^ ^^^ record for the consumption of biscuits so 
Aucusfg-I?. liigli as to remain unbreakable, while on the "Duchesse" the geo- 
metrical feat of dividing a very small pie equally among fifteen men was 
gone through with daily. 33 



Camp Wikoff Camp Wikoff, L. I., was reached by the "St. Louis" on August 

L. I. Aug. 18. 17th, and by the " Grande Duchesse " a day later. Here we were com- 
fortably quartered; cooked for by "Pipe-line" Kellar; and received 
many boxes with delicacies from home, especially " Billy" Carr. 

We returned to the city August 29th, and the reception which greeted us can 

never be forgotten by any of the two hundred and fifty men of the regiment who were 

able to walk. A two months' furlough was given us and we were home at last. 

Mustered Out. ^^ November our term in the service of Uncle Sam came to an 

Nov. 15, 1898. Q'O-'^- For nearly six months his will had been ours; he had supplied 

our clothing, food and shelter, and in return we had served him to the 

best of our abilities. We were mustered out in the armory on Nov. 15, 1898. 

And now our service in the army of the United States has become a memory. 
The hardships and pleasures, the toils and joys, that fall to the lot of a soldier are ours 
no longer. Time has begun to soften the sharp regret we felt at the loss of the dear 
comrades whom death has removed. Like men they did their duty, and like men they 
died. May we all prove as faithful. 





KRINCINC MOMS THE DBAD 



In )Vlemonain 



Corporal James Lansing Rodgers 

Musician Arthur von Ette 

Private Joseph Irving Black 

" Norman Wilson Crosby 

" Arnold Geisemann 

" Charles Gombert 



Private John H. Haller 
" William McClurg 
" E. Percy McKeever 
" John E. O'Connor 
" Frank E. Rouse 
" August F. Schroter 



Private Sidney A. Schofield 



'jfamce Lansing Rodgcra. 

CORPORAL JAMES L. ROGERS was born in 1873 at Hornellsville, N. Y., and died at 
Camp Wikoff, L. I., September 8th, 1898. He removed at a very early age to New 
York City, where he resided up to the time of his enlistment in the regiment, which he 
entered upon the outbreak of hostilities with Spain. He was educated in the Columbia 
Grammar School of this city, and afterward took up the study of law for a time at Columbia 
College, but did not complete the course. After leaving the Law School he went into busi- 
ness with his father, who, at that time, was proprietor of the Hotel Castleton on Staten Island. 
Later on he became interested in the Hotel Balmoral, at Lenox Avenue and 113th Street, 
New York City. 

That Rodgers was a fearless soldier is known to all, and it was due to his soldierly 
qualities that he was appointed a corporal, not long after joining the company. He was 
almost a stranger to most of the men, but those friends with whom he became intimate can 
testify to his many good qualities. Of his life outside the company very little is known. 
He died at detention camp, four days after his return to the States. 

■Joseph Irving Blach. 

PRIVATE JOSEPH I. BLACK enlisted as a private in the 7th Regiment, N. G. N. Y., 
September 4th, 187 1 ; was promoted corporal December 7th, 1874, and received his full 
and honorable discharge November 6th, 1878. He had three brothers who also served about 
ten years in the same regiment. He was the oldest man in the company. In spite of the 
fact that he was past the age of enlistment, he was quick to offer his services to his country, 
and at the outbreak of the war, applied for enlistment in his old company of the 7th Regiment. 
He had a thorough kuowledge of military rules and regulations, but finding that his regiment 
36 



was not to respond to the President's call, he was only too willing to enlist in our companj- as 
a private. After being a short while in the company he was appointed company clerk. When 
the regiment departed from Cuba he was left behind because he was too ill to go, and he died 
at Santiago, September 2d, 1898. His remains were afterward brought home to rest in the soil 
of the country which h e had loved so well. The cause of his death was given as " pterocolitis." 

Black was always cool and collected under fire, and the following extract from a letter 
to his mother, written a few days after the battle, serves to show his grit and courage under 
adverse circumstances, besides a knowledge of the military situation at Santiago, which 
was unusual considering the little information (mostly inaccurate), which we all possessed at 
that time. " I write these few lines to let you know that I am all right. You, of course, 
heard all about the battle we were in. Just one week ago it started, and we are now waiting 
for the City of Santiago de Cuba to surrender, or go at them again. We have the place 
surrounded on the land side by nine miles of intrenchments, besides the fleet outside. There 
is no hope for them, and if they are wise, they will give in. We started from camp on the 
day of the battle, about daylight, and at about 9 o'clock were under fire. We were ordered 
into the bushes along the roadside and to lie down. One man was killed lying alongside of 
me. I attended service with him the Sunday before. A bullet struck directly in front of 
me with a smack, — in fact they were dropping all around us. We occupied the hill captured 
from the Spaniards, and were two and a half days under fire. We had to lie down with the 
bullets whistling over us. I saw some unpleasant sights during and after the battle." 

The following statement made by one of the officers of the company ably expresses the 
sentiments of the men. " I can testify to the soldierly and gentlemanly qualities of Private 
Black. He never shirked a duty, no matter how arduous or dangerous — he died beloved and 
respected, both by the officers and men of his company." 

37 



I^omtan Wilson Crosby. 

PRIVATE NORMAN W. CROSBY, son of Horace Crosby, of New Rochelle, N. Y., was 
born January 27th, 1874. He was graduated with high honors from the Trinity Place 
Public School of that city in the class of '88, when he became President of the Alumni. He 
entered New York University in the Fall of 1899, took his B. S. in 1893, and his C. E. in 1894. 
He was a prominent member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, and took an active 
interest in alumni and fraternity matters after graduation. 

After attaining the age of citizenship he became interested in the local affairs of his 
native city and joined the Relief Engine Company. It was intended that he should be its 
next President. He was also Corresponding Secretary of the New Rochelle Republican 
Club. He was a member of St. John's (Methodist Episcopal) Chapter of the Epworth 
League, and at one time was Librarian in the Sunday-school. He held other positions of 
trust, and was one of the most loyal and energetic members of these organizations. After 
leaving college he went into business, in New Rochelle, with his father, who is also a civil 
engineer. He had a very bright future before him, and in his death the city lost one of its 
best citizens. 

When the war broke out he enlisted, after calm deliberation, in Co. K. He chose the 
regiment, as he himself said, " as the surest and quickest way of getting to the front, even if 
in no higher capacity than a private." 

One of the men of the company has truly said, " He endured the terrible hardships 
of the Santiago campaign with a self-sacrificing spirit, always ready to do his own work and 
be helpful to others." 

He left Cuba on the St. Louis, but two days before reaching Montauk Point he was 
38 



stricken with typhoid fever, and his short but glorious life ended in St. Luke's Hospital 
September 3, 1898. 

While in Cuba he was detailed for a short time to the Engineer Corps, where he was 
equally as popular with the men as in " K." He was, to say the least, a high-minded, true- 
hearted man ; an upright citizen and a brave soldier. He was in everything sound to the 
core. 

Hmold 6ct9cmatin. 

PRIVATE ARNOLD GEISEMANN was a clerk in the American Printing Co. department 
of Bliss, Fabyan & Co., dry goods commission merchants, where his memory will ever be 
fondly cherished by all with whom he came in contact. He was but eighteen years of age 
when he entered the regiment, several months before it was mustered into the service of the 
Federal Government. He had always looked forward to the time when he would be old 
enough to join the National Guard, and at the outbreak of hostilities with Spain he was still 
more eager to serve his country. His patriotism was of such sterling quality that nothing 
whatever could have prevented him from following the flag for which he so willingly gave 
up his life, and without the slightest hesitation he volunteered to enlist with the regiment in 
the United States Army. Not only was he courageous, but ever faithful in the performance 
of his duty. Although slightly built and not strong, he stood the hardships of the campaign 
with remarkable fortitude and performed his full share of the arduous duties of soldier life 
without a word of complaint. He received a slight flesh wound at the Battle of San Juan, 
but escaped serious injury, only to succumb later on to the effects of the campaign. He died 
peacefully at Santiago a few days after the company left for home. The exact cau.se of his 
death is not known. His body was buried in Cuba, but was subsequently brought home, at 
the expense of his family, and buried in Lutheran Cemetery. 

39 



At the foot of his grave, lies, carved in granite, a broken sapling, and on his tomb-stone 
is carved the regimental emblem with its motto : " Pro Aris et Pro Focis." Below is the 
inscription — 

ARNOLD GEISEMANN 

BORN FEB. 5, 1880 

DIED AT SANTIAGO 

AUG. II, 1898 

lobn R. nailer. 

PRIVATE JOHN H. HALLER was born in New York City, December sth, 1875 ; was 
educated in Public School No. 26, and, after graduating, took a business course in the 
school connected with the Young Men's Christian Association. 

He was employed as a clerk by Runkel Bros., the chocolate manufacturers, which 
position he left to enlist in the company for the war with Spain. He was an enthusiastic 
bicyclist, a member of the League of American Wheelmen and the Greenwich Wheelmen. 
He was so sick at one time in Cuba that he had been given up as lost by the doctors, but his 
remarkable grit enabled him to pull through successfully, only to fall, later on, a victim to the 
much dreaded fever. He died at Camp Wikoff, August 24th, 1898. 

OltlUatii McClurg. 

PRIVATE WILLIAM McCLURG, when twenty-two years of age, enlisted in the 71st 
Regiment, N. G. N. Y., in the spring of 1892, and was honorably discharged after five 
years of service. The year following, when the call to arms rang throughout the country, he 
immediately re-enlisted in his old command and, in spite of the pleadings of his wife and his 
40 



father, who argued that there was no necessity for married men to go to the front, he was 
found later on in Cuba, fighting shoulder to shoulder with his old comrades-in-arms. He 
went through the entire campaign with the regiment without having received a scratch, but 
with him it was the same old story. Exposure in the trenches, together with the numerous 
other hardships incident to soldier life at the front, had undermined his sturdy constitution, 
and he fell a victim to the fever which he had contracted while in Cuba. He was educated 
in Public School No. 36, and, at the outbreak of the war, left a position as clerk in the Depart- 
ment of Street Cleaning. He was twenty-eight years old at the time of his death, and left a 
wife and child surviving him. He was well liked in the company by those who had 
served with him during his term in the National Guard. 

franb 6. Rouse. 

PRIVATE FRANK E. ROUSE was born June 8, 1874, at Rockland, Me. He was the son 
of an eminent physician and surgeon, and received a common school education. He 
became a clerk in Rockland after leaving school, but afterward went to New York, where he 
became head department clerk in a wholesale and retail provision store. He was well 
liked by his employers, who when he enlisted promised to keep his position open for him if 
ever he returned to business. He was twenty-six years of age at the time of his death, and 
was to have been married upon receiving his discharge from the service. His parents were 
both dead, and he believed that if a man was not bound down by family ties it was his duty to 
serve his country by enlisting. Before war was declared he had always expressed his intention 
to enlist if the opportunity presented itself, and his enlistment was the result of careful 
consideration. He was the only man from his section of the country who saw active service 
in the Army, although quite a few had served in the Navy. In Rockland he was universally 



liked and was a boy of good habits. When he left there to go into business in New York he 
carried the best of recommendations with him. His townsmen regarded him as thoroughly 
honest, upright, open hearted, good natured and kind. In the company he bore the same 
reputation — he was a good soldier, a genial companion and a firm friend. He shouldered 
the burdens heaped upon him with the same cheerfulness which characterized most of the 
men, and no matter how weighty they were, uttered no word of complaint. 

He died of typhoid malaria at Camp Wikoff, August i8, 1898, and was buried at Montauk 
Point. His remains were afterward removed to the place of his birth, where his memory will 
be fondly cherished by all with whom he was acquainted. 

Hugu9t f. Scbrotcr. 

PRIVATE AUGUST F. SCHROTER was born in New York City, June 15th, 1875. He 
was the son of a soldier of the Civil War, and inherited a liking for military life. In 
childhood, he was never so happy as when he wore a military cap and marched along at his 
father's side, vainly attempting to keep step with the veterans of '61. 

He was educated in the Public Schools, and for some time attended evening classes at 
Cooper Institute. When but eight years of age, his father died, leaving him the oldest son in 
the family. August's inclination toward military work was only overshadowed by his love 
for drawing. He was an excellent draughtsman, and his ambition was to become an architect. 
He was employed as a draughtsman in an architect's office when he enlisted with the 
regiment, and there he was well liked. 

Schroter passed through the campaign without much illness and, considering the 
condition of most of the men when they landed at Montauk Point, he was in pretty fair health 
On the 15th of August, he sent a very cheerful letter to his home in New Jersey and 
42 



I 



his family prepared to welcome him back — the house was decorated, a feast prepared, and all 
the neighbors invited to be present at his home-coming. One night, only a week after he 
wrote, a terrific storm visited the camp, and the next morning he was found dead, without 
the least shelter over his head. He was in hospital at the time, and his tent had been blown 
down over night. With proper attention, such an occurrence could not have happened, for he 
had evidently been left to take care of himself. 

The effect at home, caused by his sudden death, cannot be imagined. In one cruel 
moment all the joys and hopes of his family were dashed to pieces. That he did not die by a 
Spanish bullet makes his death no less glorious, for he sacrificed his life — the most that he 
could give — for his country. 

He was very quiet and unassuming, always willing to do his share of work, and well 
liked by all. He was buried at Montauk Point, but his body was afterward removed to 
Lutheran Cemetery, where father and son, one the veteran of '6i, the other of '98, lie side 
by side. 

Hrthur Ton ettc. 

MUSICIAN VON ETTE was born in New York, January 29, 1865, died September 5, 1898. 
He was a bugler and assigned to the rolls of the company together with Musician 
Killeen. He was a member of the regiment several years, and when he went to the front 
gave up a position with the Metropolitan Moving Co. When the regiment reached Cuba, he, 
with other musicians, was detailed to assist the men of the hospital corps in attending to the 
sick and the wounded. He was left in Cuba when the regiment departed, and afterwards 
came north on the transport Missouri. He died of fever on the voyage home, and, having 
been a sailor for quite a number of years, was buried according to the traditions of his former 
associations. A widow and four small children survive him. 

43 



Charles ©ombcrt. 

PRIVATE GOMBERT was a citizen of Freeport, L. I., and enlisted in the company as an 
assistant cook when the regiment camped on Hempstead Plains. He afterward became 
cook and assumed a position which nobody in the company begrudged him. Many were the 
complaints about " poor grub," and scant the praises of "good cooking." In spite of the 
trials of his position, he soon became a good cook and a very useful man to the company. 
When Cuba was reached the company cooking outfit was left on board ship, each man had to 
shift for himself, and Gombert was relieved of his rather unpleasant duties. Nothing is 
known of his relations outside the company. Although he was strong and powerfully 
built, he succumbed to the fever at Santiago, August 15, 1898. 

edward Percy JMcKeever. 

PRIVATE McKEEVER joined the 8th Regiment, N.G.N.Y., several years before the war, 
and was transferred into the regiment from that organization, about a year before 
hostilities commenced. Being the smallest man in the company, his physique was not such 
as would stand the strain of a trying campaign, but he made up in determination and spirit 
what he lacked in bodily strength. One cannot help thinking that had he not been ill treated 
and abused before he ever reached Cuba that his indomitable spirit would have eventually 
carried him successfully through the ordeal which he had to face. In Florida he received so 
large a share of "police duty" that one day, being sick and unable to work, while digging 
away at a task which he had protested he would be unable to do, he became unconscious and 
was carried away to the hospital. " K " men came near forgetting Army regulations that 
day, but fortunately for all concerned, they stowed away their resentment, and like soldiers, 
bowed to the superior authority vested in a pair of ill- worn shoulder straps. 
44 



J 



Looking backward to the time in Cuba when the stronger boys were failing, and almost 
all were sick, one can still see little McKeever burdened down with a load of canteens, 
trudging wearily along through the mire, seized with a determination to "get there," but 
almost dropping in his tracks. 

His spirit remained unbroken until he reached "home," where he was unable to regain 
his shattered health. He died of fever in New York City, August 31, 1898. 

In connection with McKeever we will always remember his father, who on several 
memorable occasions showed a spirit of kindness and good will toward the boys, which will 
not easily be forgotten. We will always think of the one in connection with the other. 

7obn 6. O'Cornion 

PRIVATE O'CONNOR, or rather O'Connell, was under age when he enlisted with the 
regiment at the outbreak of the war. Probably not wishing to be prevented from 
entering the regiment by his parents, he assumed the name of O'Connor. On this account 
his father later on experienced considerable trouble in acquiring his back pay. Nothing is 
known of O'Connor's relations outside of the company. He died of fever at Santiago August 
II, 1898. 

Sidney H. Scboficld. 

PRIVATE SCHOFIELD was at one time connected with the National Guard of Connecticut. 
When the war broke out he had a knowledge of military work and promptly volunteered 
his services. He was a citizen of Fishkill, N. Y., and a good friend of Private Watson of that city. 
He died a true soldier's death, being almost instantly killed in action at San Juan Hill, 
July 1, 1898, by a bullet wound through the head. 

His lost was keenly felt by the company. He was well liked by all, and was the first 
man of the company to sacrifice his life for the cause. It is said that he was engaged to be 
married upon his return home. 45 



ROSTER AND 
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS 



HE DI8T1NGU1S 



Selfridge, Edward A. Jr. . Captai; 

Thompson, J. M ist LieuteaaDt 

Blauvelt, Lester J 2d 

Tunstall, David T ist Serg't. 

Hynds, Rufus C Q. M. Serg't, 

Whitenack, William Serg't. 

Bohlig, Fred " 

Goulden, Charles " 

Briner, Charles H 

Carman, Charles W Corp'l. 

Buell, FredH " 

Piercy, William A " 

See.WilliamG " 

Benedict, Lewis " 

Grouard, Jos. M ** 

Rogers, Jas. L *' 

Killeen, George H Musician 

Von Ette, Arthur " 

Finnessey, John F Wagoner 

Andre, Charles Artificer 

Anderson, Arthur C Private 

Asmus, Alex, H " 

48 



5 a 3-4 

561-2 



5 9 

5 9 1-2 
5 8 
5 63-4 



The 
Captain 

Thompson 

Lieutenant 

Dave 

Rufe 'R.C." 

Billy 

Freddy 

Charlie 

Charlie 

Charlie 

Henny 

Billy 

Billy 

Benny 

Grouard 



Coramissioned 
Capt. from ist L. 

Commissioned 
ist L. from 2d L. 

Com's'ned 2d 
L. from"B."Co. 

Prom, ist Sgt. 
Prom.Q.M.Sgt. 



-Millar 



Bill Can 

Anderson-Bau- 

raann-Baldy 

Wallace 
Bohlig. Ferbei 

boynton 



Promoted Sergt 



Promoted Corp. 



Died at Camp 
Wikoff, L.I., 
Sept. 8, 1898, 



The Regu- 
lars 
Malted milk 
and quinine 
Rustling 
Keeping 
his books 
Exploring 
A real good 
scrap 
Rations 

if mouldy 

IceCream !!! 

Bossing his 

squad 



Guard Duty 



Little men 
Had none 
Back talk 
Had none 

Rag 
chewing 
Rough 
Riders 
Wood 
Grubbers 
Selecting a 

detail 
Being bos- 
sed himself 
Non-com. 

school 
Unknown 



Anybody 
;lse growli'g 
Too much 



As an Ai Sergeant 

As a good fellow 

As Serg't outpost 

July 2d 

As a bather 

As battalion 

Sergeani-Major 

By series person'ly 

I'd water details 

By his willingness 

become an officer 

By his melodious 

As corporal of 

the guard 

First man to sport 

a 'Khaki' uniform 

As a pessimist 

By his angelic 

disposition 



Died at Sea 
Sept. 5, 1898 



John 
Artisifer 
Andy 
Baldy 
Scaldy 
Mussy 



Piercy 

Tunstall- Munde 

Briner-Bau- 

mann-Baldy 



Wounded in 
i.rmjuly2,i89£ 

IS'g'tly wound- 
ed in chest, 
July 10. 1898. 



His Wash, 
correspond 
Hair cutting 

Ice Cream ! 
Babies 



companies 

Shells 

Mai de Me 



Driving Me-ulcs 
As a tonsorial 



As a private cook 

"' st nick-naraed 

lan in camp 



AGE 


„.,0„T 


24 


5 9 3-4 


44 


561-2 


21 


561-4 


27 


58,-4 


28 


5 11 1-2 


21 


6 


24 


5 7 3-4 


19 


5 9 3-4 


24 


5 6 


23 


5 '11-4 


23 


5 81-4 


22 


5 83-4 


23 


6 I 1-2 


18 


5 5 1-2 


18 


581-2 


22 


5 9 


23 


6 2 


3, 


S 9 


=3 


6 I 



DISTINGUISHED 



Baumann, Richard J Private 

Black, Joseph I " 

Boynlon, Claude W " 

Brett, Thomas H " 

Carr, WJIIiam H 

Carr, Mitchell Y 

CarsoD, William F 

Crawford, John L. " 

Crosby, Norman W " 

Duester, Robert H '* 

Everhart, John H " 

Fcrber, Emil " 

Fogarty, William H 

Foley, Louis B " 

Ferguson, Edward G. W.. " 

Gieseman, Arnold *' 

Goss, David J " 

Greaves, Fred W *' 

Green, John J 

Gorabert, Charles *' 

Guillen, M. Mateo 

Haller, John M 



As a good soldi* 



-Billy 

Mitch 

Kit Bill 

Jack 



Piercy 
Millar—Everhart 

Goulden-C 

Millar—Everhart 

Brett-Gouldei 

Brett-Millar 

Goulden 

Hynds 

Stubbelbine 



Died New York 
Sept. 3, 1898. 



Letters in 
violet ink 
Craps up to 
July 21. 
Eighteen 
eers at clip 
Work! 

Sink details 

Any kind 

real hard 

work 



joking 

Craps after 

July 21 

An empty 

flask 

Water 

details 

Same as 

Billy Carr 

Guard duty 



AS£ 

of very feeble fire: 
As an amateur 

commissary 
By his ability to 
grow a beard 
By his energy 
By his flow of 
language 
As a hustler 



Bob 

Evey 

Ferber our 

tent-mate 

Billy 

Teddy Lou 

Ferguson 



Dave 
Fred 
Green 



Buell-Bohlig 
Whitenack 



Potts 
Wallace 
Kenney 



WoM'darm Jul. 

. 98. Prom, 
corp. Sept. 15, 'qi 
" as.istDivH 
C'ps.Jun. i5,'98 
Died at Santiago 
Aug. 13, 18 



Any work 
didn't re- 
quire exert'n 
Stew 



Expendit 
phys. energy 
Doing hf 



A Shirk 
A drill 



member of the 

6rmof B. M.&Co. 

As Ferber our 

tent mate 

By his happy smile 

As volunteer cook 
By a striking re- 
semblance to the 
Apollo Belvidere 



Assign 

detail. 

June 



td Depo 



Died Santiago, 
Aug. 16, 1808. 

H.C.Assign'dist 

Div. H. C. 

June 15, 1898. 

DiedC. Wikofi 

L.l. Aug. 24 '98 



Sick boy 
Quinine 



Helping himself 

As tallest man in 

company 



Heitz, Fred. C Private 

Hurst, Jay A " 

Jansen, Christian '* 

KeIIar,JohnJ 

Kenney, Thomas L *' 

Leopold, William Jr 

McCIurg, William ** 

McDonald, John I " 

McKeever, Edward Percy *' 

Martin, Frank E 

Millar, H. Graham *^ 

Moore, Alton M " 

Moore, George " 

MuUer, Nicholas Jr " 

Munde, William M *' 

Munson, George I *' 

Niemeyer, John '^ 

Neff.Charles 

O'Connor, John E " 

Park, Charles D " 

Perry, John B '* 

Potts, Oscar F .., •' 

50 



5 7 1-2 
581-2 
5 5 3-4 
5 73-4 
S 5 1-4 



Fred 
Jay 



J- J. 
Fighting 



Frank 
Millar Pop 



George 

Nick 

Billy 

George 

Niemeyer 

NeS 



Park 
Jack 
Potts 



Kenney 
len of othe 
companies 
Tunstall 
Munson 



Heitz 

Von Kromer 

G. Moore 



Von Kromer 
Leopold 
Martin 



Goss Scott 
Goss-McDonald 



Trans, from 69th 
N.Y.Vols.toCo. 
K.July 12, '98 
Assign'd 1st Div 
H.C.Jun.15, - 



Wounded side 
July2,'98.Prom 
Corp. Sept. 15,'gi 



Diedi 
Aug. I 



Promoted Co 
Sept. 15, 189 



Collecting 
Souvenirs 



Cooking on 
some one 
else's fire 



Gassingwith 
" Kromer 
oea hen 



Hadnc 
Expos'g 
leaf skin for 
sun play o 

Foraging 



AVERSIOI 

Too free u 
comp'y fii 

Work 
Too little 

grub 

Buiidmg his 

own fire 

Dirt 

Sink details 



Doing an extra 
of details without 

By his shape 

By his size 

Sole survivor of 

the pipe-line detail 

As a fisherman 



Member of the 
Comp. Quartette 



As a good soldi( 
As a cook 



Details 
Scrappers 
Cooking 
Digging 
Unknown 



Attention to duty 

Cutting work 

Member of the 

Comp. Quartette 

By keeping quiet 



Had not 
A fakii 



As a model of 

perfect repose 

Voluntarily caring 

for the sick 

By helping with 

the sick 





.CK 


„K,0„X 


ivate 


24 


5 7 1-2 




16 


5 83-4 




23 


5 5 1-4 




23 


585-8 




24 


5 7 1-4 




19 


5 9 


" 


25 


563-4 




26 


5 7 3-4 




34 
18 
25 


5 6 
581-2 

5 a 1-4 
5 61-2 


" 


23 
24 


5 5 '-2 
5 10 1-2 
5 9 
5 7 1-4 



HE DISTINGUI* 



Rouse, Frank £ 

Schonemann, Robert C . 

Schroter, August F 

Schofield, Sidney A .... , 

Scott, Patrick , 

Sherwin, James E 

Sours, James E 

Sowney, George E 

Stubblebine, Gilbert W. 

Sutters, Thomas J 

Taylor, Ralph W 

Von Kromer, George... 

Wallace, Archer B 

Watson, William M 

Weeden, Geo. W. Jr.... 
Whitman, George S . . . . , 
Ziegler, August 



Scotty 

Sherwin the 
raaDgo fiend 

Sowney 
Stubby 

Tom 
Ralph 

Von 
Wallace 
Watson 

Billy 
Whitman 
Ziegler 



Perry 
Weeden 
Hynds 



Crawford 
McClurg 



Geo. RIoor 
Leopold 



Sherwin 
Benny 
Schroter 



Died C. Wikoff, 
Aug. 23, i8g8. 



Died C. Wikoff, 
Aug. 23, i8q8. 

Killed in action, 
July 1, 1898. 



Prom. Corp. 
Sept. 15,1898. 



Chewin* 
the rag 



Mangos . 
Discoursing 
Fighting (at 
long range) 

Any old 

hard work 

Pills 

Doing as ht 

was told 

His 
spy-glass 



Rapaduras 
Unofficial 
details 
A bunk wit! 
theQ.M.Sgt 
Mangos 



Co. Police 

Guard duty 

A calling 

Too much 

of it 

Spiders 

Quinine 
Water 

details 

Drill in 
est. order 

An early 
mom. detail 

Result of 
unofficdetl's 
Any details 
except com. 

Cooking 



By voluntarily 

lursing the sick 

Ability smile under 

As quartermaster's 

assistant 

As a company cook 

By his original 

style of hair-cut 

As the only 

original Sutters 

As a good soldier 

As a collector 

of relics 

By his ability 

to lose flesh 

Aschairmanof the 

Rumor Committee 

The best dressed 

roan in company 

Aschief of the 

officers' mess 

As a clerk at 

head quarters 



Our "Happy Homes" 

** Vd leave my happy home for you, Ooo-oo, Ooo-oo " 

Camp Black - - - - Hempstead, L. I. - - - - May 2-12 

SS. City of Washington - - N. Y. Harbor .... May 13-14 

On Train to Lakeland - - Florida May 14-16 

Camp at Lakeland - - - Florida May 17-31 

Camp at Tampa Heights - Florida May3i-June8 

SS. Vigilancia - - - - From Port Tampa ... - June 8-24 

Camp at Siboney - - - Cuba June 24-27 

Camp at Sevilla - - - Cuba June 27-30 

Occupied San Juan Hill - Cuba July 1-5 

Camp at Left, San Juan Hill - Cuba July 5-6 

Camp at Right, San Juan Hill Cuba July 7- Aug. 10 

SS. "La Grande Duchesse " ] From Santiago .... Aug. 9-18 

U. S. SS. St. Louis ) From Santiago .... Aug. 10-17 

Camp Wikoff - - - Montauk Point, L. L - - - Aug. 18-28 

On Furlough Aug. 26-Oct. 27 

Mustered Out of the United States Service Nov. 1 5 



THE WAR VETERANS OF CO. "K" 

71ST REGIMENT, N.G.N.Y. 



OFFICERS 

or THE 

War Veterans of Co. "K" 

President, Frank Keck 

Secretary, William H. Carr 

Treasurer, Frederick Bohlig 

Historian, Arthur C. Anderson 



CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS. 



1. This Organization shall be known as the War Veterans of Company K, 71st Regiment, N. G. N. Y. , 
of 1898. 

2. The purposes of this Organization shall be to keep alive the memories of the Cuban Campaign of 
1898 ; to continue and foster the friendships and associations formed during membership in the said company ; 
to encourage a spirit of loyalty to. and continued regard for the welfare of the company, and to keep a record 
of the personal history of the members of this association. 

3. There shall be three classes of members— active, associate and honorary. 

The active membership shall consist of those who served in Company K, 71st N. Y. Vols, 
during the Cuban Campaign. 

The associate membership shall consist of those made eligible to this association by reason 
of service, past or present, in Company K, 71st Regiment, N. G. N. Y. 

The honorary membership shall consist of those whose interest in, or services to this com- 
pany may in the eyes of the members entitle them to this recognition. 

4. The officers of this association shall be as follows: A president, a secretary and treasurer, and an 
historian. 

The council shall consist of three members and the officers above named. Only active 
members shall be entitled to hold office. 

The officers and council shall be elected annually by a majority vote of the active members. 

55 



The president shall preside at all meetings and all notices shall be issued in his name. 

The secretary and treasurer will keep the records and conduct the correspondence of the 
society. He will be charged with the custody and accounting for all receipts and disbursements. 

The historian shall complete at as early a date as possible an account of the experiences and 
services of " K " Company in the late war, and henceforth keep a list and record of the members. 

5. The duties of the council shall be to act as an advisory body in all matters relating to the general 
conduct of the organization ; to pass upon the applications for associate membership ; to recommend the con- 
ferring of honorary membership ; to audit the accounts of the treasurer, and to authorize expenditures to be 
made on behalf of the association. 

6. Associate and honorary membership shall also be conferred by the unanimous vote of the members 
assembled at the annual meeting. 

7. The annual meeting shall be held on the ist day of July in each year, and the council shall make 
such suitable provision for a dinner or other form of entertainment as may be deemed advisable. 

8. The annual dues of this association shall be fixed by the council. 

9. This constitution and by-laws may be changed by a two thirds vote of all the active members. 



I 



The following Resolution was adopted by the Members 
of the Company 

(Meeting held July 1st, 1899) 

VLVLlv the members of Company " K," 71st Regiment, New York Volunteers, assembled 
on the First Anniversary of the Battle of San Juan, sorrowfully recall the memory of 
those, our comrades, whom God, in his infinite wisdom, has seen fit to remove from 
our midst. 

Yet, when we remember their devotion to duty, the uncomplaining patience with 
which they bore the hardships and suffering which fell to their lot, and the courage, with 
which at the last they faced the great unknown, we believe that the occasion is not one of 
unmixed sorrow, but that pride in the example which they have set, should hold a part. 

We feel how inadequate any words that we can say must be, to console those 
who mourn the loss of son, or of brother, but we would convey to them our deep and 
sincere sympathy, and assure them that the thought of their loved ones shall be held 
sacred, and that their memory shall be kept green among us, until we too depart, to 
answer " Here," to the roll-call from above. 

TRCSOlVCO that a copy of this resolution be sent to the relatives of each of our 
departed comrades. 





COMPANY 



n-Regt. 
N.Y. Volunteers 



L. C. BiNDERV 






LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



012 6081790 # 



